The Senate approved the Comprehensive School Safety Act (Senate Bill No. 2426) with 17 votes in favor, zero in opposition, and zero abstentions upon third reading on Monday, September 21.

The bill seeks to mitigate school violence and ensure students’, teachers’, and school personnels’ security by requiring schools to prepare and implement several safety mechanisms.

Upon the passage of the bill, Senate President Sherwin “Win” Gatchalian noted the significance and timeliness of the bill.

“Very timely bill, considering that we also had another incident last week in South Cotabato. Importante ho ang batas na ito para mapigilan na ho natin at maging handa ang ating mga paaralan sa ganitong karahasan,” he said during the Monday plenary session.

Majority Floor Leader Juan Miguel “Migz” Zubiri pointed out that the said bill complements Senator Robinhood “Robin” Padilla’s bill, which seeks to limit children’s use of social media.

“Actually dalawa itong importanteng panukala na ipapasa natin. Naipasa na po natin ito, ‘yung sa school safety, at ‘yung kay Senator Robin, dapat maipasa din natin ‘yun, which is the ban on social media for children,” Zubiri said, to which Gatchalian agreed the two were “tandem bills.”

Senator Rafael “Raffy” Tulfo said he voted in favor of Senate Bill No. 2426 because school safety—especially in the face of the recent spike in violence—should become a clear and enforceable commitment the state enacts through its schools.

“I voted yes for the passage of Senate Bill No. 2426, under Committee Report 89, otherwise known as the Comprehensive School Safety Act, because the safety of our learners, teachers, and school personnel cannot be treated as optional, temporary, or secondary. It must be (a) clear, permanent, and enforceable commitment of the state,” he said.

Citing the Banga National High School shooting in South Cotabato, which occurred just this past week, Senator Tulfo said such incidents prove that “fragmented, reactive” responses do not suffice when the the lives of children are at risk.

“The recent rise in school violence is deeply troubling. At nadagdagan pa ulit just a few days ago, with a tragic incident that happened in South Cotabato. These incidents show that our schools have become vulnerable to senseless acts and obviously, we’re lacking on so many aspects… We can no longer rely on fragmented, reactive measures, when the lives and wellbeing of our children are at stake,” he said.

Tulfo said he was pleased and grateful that, as a principal author to the bill, his proposed provisions were included in the third reading version, which include: installing CCTV cameras in classrooms and common areas; counselling and psychological support in coordination with the Department of Health (DOH); augmenting school security through police visibility outside school premises when necessary, and in coordination with the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG); and establishing effective emergency response mechanisms, such as anonymous reporting systems.

“These provisions are vital because prevention must be visible, responsive, they must be immediate, and recovery must be compassionate and sustained,” Tulfo stressed.

Senator Joel Villanueva, a co-author and co-sponsor of the bill, said lawmakers’ aim was to enforce a national and systematic framework to guide schools in safeguarding every learner and school staff from violence.

“Ang layunin po natin ay malinaw, ang magkaroon po ng isang pambansa, sistematiko, at malinaw na balangkas, upang gabayan ang ating mga paaralan sa pagprotekta ng bawat mag-aaral at school personnel laban sa violence, abuse, bullying, discrimination, at harassment. Kabilang na po ang mga insidenteng nagaganap online,” he said.

Villanueva explained that, since enforcing school safety can no longer be confined to the physical classroom in this digital age, an amendment included prohibiting the use of mobile phones and other devices during instructional hours, except for legitimate learning purposes, in emergency cases, and other authorized uses.

The senator also mentioned that another amendment sought the implementation of a centralized incident tracking system, which will allow the logging, monitoring of, and effective responses to incidents of violence, bullying, and discrimination in the school setting.

Meanwhile, Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan, who also voted in favor of the bill’s passage, said that as a parent himself, he is concerned for the safety of children in their “second home.”

According to data from the 2025 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), 47.2 percent of Filipino learners aged 15 years old reported experiencing at least one form of bullying a few times a month or more. Thirty-one percent, or one in three students, said they were frequently bullied, while 13.9 percent said they had been cyberbullied, Pangilinan said.

“Halos kalahati ng mga kinse-anyos ang binu-bully buwan-buwan,” he said.

The bill acknowledges that ensuring school safety is not limited to physical security measures, but that this entails children being able to fearlessly seek help and report possible danger, the senator explained.

“Kinikilala nito na hindi lang tungkol sa gate, guwardiya, CCTV, o metal detector ang kaligtasan. School safety means the child can learn, ask help, report danger without fear of ostracism, shame, or retaliation. Kasama sa usapang safety ang physical, emotional, psychosocial, at ang digital na kaligtasan, bago pa mangyari ang panganib habang may krisis, at kahit matagal nang tapos ang insidente,” he said.

Pangilinan said that the bill requires schools to devise and implement safety plans, child-appropriate measures, and cooperate with parents and institutions tasked with children’s care.

“Makakatulong itong panukalang batas na ito na maitaguyod ang isang kulturang conducive sa pagpapalaki ng bata, dahil tanggap natin na walang magulang ang kayang palakihin ang bata nang mag-isa. Hindi puwedeng ipaubaya sa schools, gadgets, o algorithms ang pagpapalaki ng ating mga anak,” he said.

On Friday, September 18, the country witnessed its third school shooting incident in a single year. In the aftermath of the Banga National High School shooting, three students were left dead and seven others injured.

According to Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla, the shooter was “heavily into” the “deep dark web” and was found to have been struggling with depression.

Prior to this, school shootings also took place in San Jose National High School in Tacloban City and another in the Ateneo de Zamboanga University’s (AdZU) high school building.